


A Mullet By Any Other Name

by JenniM777



Series: Keithtober 2019 [21]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: M/M, Pining Keith (Voltron), Pining Lance (Voltron), Post-Season/Series 08 Finale, These two boys are idiots
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-07
Updated: 2020-01-07
Packaged: 2021-02-27 13:15:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,107
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22157650
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JenniM777/pseuds/JenniM777
Summary: Day 21 of Keithtober - Long Hair/Short HairKeith is involved in a tragic accident with a pair of scissors, and Lance is not happy. Things work out in the end.
Relationships: Curtis/Shiro (Voltron), Keith/Lance (Voltron)
Series: Keithtober 2019 [21]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1504211
Comments: 2
Kudos: 70





	A Mullet By Any Other Name

**Author's Note:**

> I'm still here! I'm not giving up! I will finish all of these prompts one day. Thanks to those of you who have been patiently waiting for updates, to all the sweet comments, the tons of kudos that come in daily. You all are lovely and make me want to keep plodding on!!

It had been too long since Keith had been back to New Altea and he was looking forward to the yearly dinner with the other Paladins. But what Keith had not been expecting was to get his ass chewed not even being on the planet for just a handful of hours, for something that he didn’t even do! Of all the predicaments Keith had ever been in, he could definitely say this was one of the most unusual. He had heard stories of things like this happening. He had never had such an urge nor did he think it would actually ever happen to him because of someone else. Even worse was the fact that he was getting yelled at over it, “HOW COULD YOU DO SOMETHING SO STUPID KEITH!”

  
Keith just stared, “Stupid? I was asleep!”

  
Lance threw his hands up, “Exactly! Who the hell falls asleep with kids in the house?”

  
“Oh, I’m sorry. I just came off a mission helping to rebuild a completely destroyed planet and hadn’t slept properly in over a week. I was a little tired!”

  
“Then you should have went home, or better yet, let someone else pilot so you could sleep before you got here.”

  
Keith felt his eyes widen, “Who the hell was going to fly my ship? I was alone. And for your information I was trying to get home to see my brother, to see…. You know what? Never mind.”

  
With that, Keith pushed past Lance and out the door. He made his way to one of the back rooms and sat on the floor with his back against a small twin size bed and leaned his head back. 

  
Five Hours Earlier:

  
Keith landed his small ship several yards away from the house with the neatly manicured yard and several toys in the front. He basically had his own ‘parking spot’ for these sorts of visits and before he was anywhere near the house, three small figures came barreling towards him with squeals of excitement, “Uncle Keith! You’re home!”

  
Keith let out a soft laugh as his oldest niece wrapped her arms around his waist, soon followed by his nephew. He ruffled their hair and hugged them back but released them in favor of the small toddler making her way slowly toddling through the grass. He bent down and scooped her up and tossed her a bit in the air smiling as she giggled. “Have the three of you been good for your dads?”

  
There was a loud bang as the screen door slammed shut and Shiro was there standing on the porch watching the scene, “They are all a menace, just like their Uncle Keith used to be.”

  
Keith smiled proudly, “Then my job as an uncle has been a success.”

  
Shiro pulled Keith into a hug, “Good to see you. How long are you here for?”

  
“I’m on leave for a month after tonight’s dinner of course. Things are slow, and mom said it was time I took a vacation.”

  
“It’ll be good to have you home for a while.”

  
Keith nodded, but before he could say anything else a loud beeping noise came from somewhere in the house. Shiro’s oldest, Isabelle, came running from the house with Shiro’s phone, “Daaaaaaaaad! Pop is calling!”

  
Shiro grabbed his phone and held up a finger as he stepped away. Keith could hear a bit of soft talking but he focused on the kids instead. Isabelle was six, Nathan the second oldest was four and lastly, Kaitlynn was fifteen months. Nathan was pulling on his sleeves, “Uncle Keith did you bring Kosmo?”

  
“Sorry buddy, Kosmo stayed with my mom. He’s getting too big to fit in my ship.”

  
Isabelle let out a giggle, “Then you need a bigger ship!”

  
Keith bent down to tickle her, “Are you going to buy me a bigger ship?”

  
Isabelle shrieked with laughter and tried to escape, “I don’t have any money Uncle Keith!”

  
Shiro came back with a scowl on his face, “Okay kids, we have a mission.”

  
There were several rounds of complaining and mumbles as Isabelle took Nathan and Kaitlynn to put on their shoes. Keith just tilted his head in confusion, “What’s going on?”

  
Shiro let out a sigh of sheer exasperation, “Curtis locked his keys in his car.”

  
Keith grinned, “Does this happen often?”

  
Isabelle stomped across the porch and leaned heavily against Keith, “Pop locks his keys somewhere they aren’t supposed to be all the time.”

  
It was said with all the sarcasm only a six year old could have. Keith couldn’t help but laugh. He gave a small shrug, “I can stay with the kids if you don’t want to bring them.”

  
Shiro stared at Keith for a few seconds, “You don’t mind? They can be a handful all together.”

  
Keith just shook his head, “We’ll be fine.”

  
Once Shiro left to help out Curtis, Keith was fine with the kids. They looked at the pictures of different places Keith had on his phone, they watched a few videos of Kosmo, and they were starting to settle down and watch a movie. Keith had just put Kaitlynn down for a nap and sat next to Isabelle. She smiled at him and reached for his hair that had been pulled into a long braid, “Uncle Keith can I brush your hair?”

  
And that was Keith’s mistake. He let a tiny six year old brush his hair. Under normal circumstances this would not have been a problem, but Keith was pretty tired, and something about the soothing drag of a brush through his hair lulled him to sleep. He couldn’t have been asleep long when Curtis’ voice startled him awake, “Isabelle what have you done?”

  
Keith didn’t immediately realize what had happened. Even as he sat up and saw Isabelle holding a pair of scissors, even has he saw a long strand of hair in her hands, and even as he took in the puddle of hair on the floor near the couch where he had fallen asleep.

  
It wasn’t until Isabelle’s face crumbled and big fat tears fell from her eyes, “I was just fixing Uncle Keith’s hair.”

  
It took a few minutes for the words to sink into Keith’s sleep addled brain and when they did he ran a shaky hand through his hair. He felt a few long strands but there was a definite difference. Some of his hair stopped completely at the nape of his neck.   
Keith looked up as Shiro rounded the couch and stood in front of his daughter. He held out a hand and waited, “Scissors now.”

  
Isabelle slowly handed the scissors to Shiro. Her bottom lip was still wobbly as she looked at Keith, “I’m sorry Uncle Keith.”

  
Shiro’s face was unnaturally pale as he looked at Keith, “I am so sorry.”

  
Keith couldn’t even respond. It wasn’t like he was upset, it was just hair. He was more in shock that he fell asleep and never noticed what was going on. Keith could only watch as Shiro scooped up Isabelle and headed to the back of the house, Curtis following after them. Nathan crawled up on the couch next to Keith, “Uncle Keith are you gonna cry now that all your hair is gone?”

  
Keith ran a hand through his hair and couldn’t help but think of how strange it felt, “Nah. I’ll probably just get a new haircut.”

  
“Are you mad at Isabelle?”

  
Keith looked down at Nathan noticing how worried he looked, “No buddy. I shouldn’t have fallen asleep. I was supposed to be watching you. It’s kind of my fault and I’ll make sure to tell your dad.”

Now:

  
The longer Keith sat there the angrier he became. Not at Isabelle because she was just a kid, but at Lance. Seriously, who the hell did he think he was to start laying into Keith about his hair? What was it to him if he cut his hair or not? It’s just hair for Christ’s sake. With an angry huff, Keith pulled himself off the floor and made his way back downstairs. Keith stomped past Hunk and Pidge with an angry growl, “Where is he?”

  
Pidge just gave Keith a knowing smirk but pointed towards the kitchen. Hunk for his part just let out a resigned sigh, “Can we please not revert back to the days of constant bickering between you guys?”

  
Keith ignored everything except the direction Pidge had pointed. He pushed open the small door and Lance immediately crossed his arms and glared at Keith, “Oh here come the genius who fell asleep and let a child cut his hair.”

  
Shiro pinched the bridge of his nose, “Lance, don’t start.”

  
Keith made his way around Curtis and Shiro’s small kitchen table and stood toe to toe with Lance and pointed a finger to his chest, “I don’t know what your problem is, but my hair is none of your concern. If I let Isabelle cut it, if I cut it of my own choice, or if it all fell out, it is none of your business.”

  
Lance uncrossed his arms and stood up straight, no longer leaning against the kitchen counter from where he had been talking to Shiro, “It is too my business when I have to look at it. I mean thank god it’s no longer a mullet!”

  
Keith flung his hands in the air, “Who cares if it was a mullet? It hasn’t been a mullet for a long time. And why the hell are you so obsessed with how my hair looks?”

  
Lance moved from his spot against the kitchen counter, the pair of them were now toe to toe and yelling nonsense. Shiro had one hand holding the bridge of his nose and let out a sigh, Hunk was trying to interfere and break up the yelling, Curtis was half-heartedly keeping an eye on the kids playing in the back yard but also trading a knowing look with Pidge. Everyone turned back to the argument when Keith let out a sound half growl and half exasperated sigh. He was walking out of the kitchen with a yell, “Just shut up Lance. I’m done with your nonsense.”

  
Lance, never one to back down shouted back, “Oh yea? Fucking make me then.”

  
Keith stopped just outside of the kitchen door. No one breathed as Keith slowly turned back around to face Lance. His eyes seemed to flash a dangerous yellow and Hunk sucked in a deep breath as Keith began to move. He didn’t stomp, he didn’t lash out or quicken his pace. Oh no, Keith did none of those things. 

  
Shiro was telling Keith in a loud voice not to start a fight in his house because of the kids. Hunk was begging Lance to quit talking. Pidge shifted her gaze between Keith and Lance, her face reflecting worry instead of her usual hint of mischief, and Curtis was preparing to step in if things came to blows. But Keith wasn’t concerned about anyone other than Lance. His steps were quiet but purposeful, his eyes were locked onto Lance, some unknown emotion fueling him as he zeroed in on lips, lips that were moving, mocking him to make him stop talking. And Keith had his eyes set on his prey. He was the hunter and damn it all if Lance wasn’t the hunted. He could see it the moment Lance realized Keith wasn’t going to let this slide. Keith felt himself grin as Lance’s eyes widened, as he tensed in anticipation of a fist to his jaw, as he waited for Keith’s hands to make contact as they raised in the air, and Keith couldn’t help but feel immense satisfaction when Lance’s expression turned from fear to shock and surprise when calloused hands cupped his cheeks and pulled him forward and kissed him. 

  
Keith hadn’t honestly planned to kiss Lance but he couldn’t help but feel a bit smug when he pulled back. Lance hadn’t reciprocated the kiss and that was okay because before Keith turned and walked out of the kitchen he had the satisfaction of seeing those blue marks on Lance’s cheeks glow brighter than he had ever seen them before. He also had the satisfaction of seeing the skin beneath those marks turn red. And when Lance lifted a hand to his lips, Keith couldn’t help but feel proud of the fact that yea, he won that round. He definitely made Lance McClain shut up.

  
Later that night, long after the yearly Paladin dinner was over, Keith was outside standing and looking up at the statue of Allura. He had been having an inner dialogue with himself, wondering if Allura would approve or if she would resent Keith for wanting to fill in the gaps of Lance’s heart that she had left when she died. He really didn’t think it mattered because let’s be honest, he probably would never get the chance to be anything to Lance. With a soft sigh, Keith shoved his hands in his jacket and turned to walk back inside. He stopped short when he saw Lance standing just a few feet away. Dinner had been awkward between them, but the others had thankfully kept the conversation light and away from the events of earlier. Keith let his shoulders sag and reached up to run a hand nervously across his neck, stopping short when there was no hair, because oh yea that was a thing that had happened as well. 

  
He let his hand fall away and ducked his head. He peeked out at Lance from hair that fell just over his eyes, “Sorry for earlier.”

  
Lance tilted his head giving him a curious look, “Which part?”

  
“All of it. The yelling, losing my temper, acting like a hothead, anything that made you uncomfortable.”

  
Lance pursed his lips and nodded, “I’m not.”

  
Keith’s head shot up and his eyes widened. Before he had a chance to say anything Lance held up a hand, “Just let me talk.”

  
Keith’s mouth snapped shut and he waited. He watched as Lance tilted his head back and stared at the night sky. He watched as Lance took a deep breath and closed his eyes and then shifted. Keith watched as Lance steeled himself, his stance a reminder of the paladin he was, readying himself for battle. For what sort of battle, Keith had no idea. 

  
“I am obsessed.”

  
And that one sentence was in no way what Keith had expected. But he continued to wait because he knew Lance and there was no way that was all he had come out here to say.

  
“I lost my temper because I am obsessed with your hair and I was pissed off that I never got the chance to run my fingers through it and see if was as ridiculously as soft as it looked.”

  
Keith couldn’t help the half laugh, half snort that burst from him, “What the fuck Lance?”

  
Lance leveled a glare at Keith, “Don’t laugh at me.”

  
Keith crossed his arms, mirth and amusement dancing in his eyes, “So you’re telling me you picked a fight with me because you no longer have the opportunity to run your fingers through my hair?”

  
Lance took a step back, “NO! I…that’s not…I didn’t say that. Quit twisting my words!”

  
Keith didn’t say anything. Instead his lips twitched a bit, the corners lifting into a hint of a smile and he waited.

  
Lance let out a huff of air, “Ok fine, that’s exactly what I did. I’m not proud of it either, but I’m not sorry you …”

  
This time Keith couldn’t keep the grin off of his face, “Go on. You’re not sorry that I what?”

  
Lance pursed his lips and glared at Keith, “I’m just not sorry ok?”

  
Keith watched in amusement as Lance crossed his arms and turned away from Keith with a dramatic sigh. He took a few steps forward and wrapped a hand around Lance’s arm. He pulled gently so that Lance had no choice but to face him. He ducked his head to try and meet Lance’s eyes, “You know all you had to do was ask.”

  
Lance lifted his head just a fraction and Keith waited as Lance took in the shorter hair, “Yea well it’s too late for that now.”

  
Keith smiled, “It’ll grow back you know.”

  
This time Lance grinned, “As long as you don’t let it grow back into another mullet.”

  
Keith tilted his head back and let out a laugh, “Shut up!”

  
When he looked back at Lance there was a look in his eyes, something Keith wasn’t sure he could put words to. But then Lance bit his bottom lip in a show of nerves, his voice barely a whisper as he held Keith’s gaze, “Make me.”

  
Keith felt his breath hitch, the words from earlier coming back to him because surely Lance wasn’t implying, he couldn’t be saying what Keith thought he was saying. They were already chest to chest and Keith was sure Lance could hear the rapid fire beating of his heart. Their lips were only inches apart. He leaned in slowly, letting Lance have a chance to pull away if this wasn’t what he wanted. A hand reached out, tentative and shaky, long fingers unsure but suddenly pushing a lock of hair from Keith’s forehead and tangling in the longer locks of hair and moving to the back of his neck where it was cut close. Fingers brushing through short hair and touching warm skin at the nape of his neck causing a shiver to move through Keith. 

Lance tugged gently pulling Keith even closer. Lips just barely touching as his eyes darted from Keith’s lips and back to his eyes, his voice softer than the whisper of the night breeze, “make me.”

  
This time when Keith kissed Lance, he kissed back. It was soft and slow, a gentle caress of timidness, newness, a beginning. As they kissed, hands moved through soft locks of hair, hands on hips, arms moving to embrace, soft sighs as Keith pulled back only to press forward with a gentle press of lips again and again. Lance answering with a flutter of eyelashes, noses pushing softly against another, fingers always coming back to card through soft hair. And if either of them would have turned, they would have seen the statue of Allura with a hint of pink triangles glowing softly on marbled cheeks, lips pressed in the softest of smiles as she watched someone mend the cracks of a heart she had once held dear.


End file.
